Page 51 of Distinctly Daray
“Stop poking your salad, Chand, and eat it,” Alaric ordered.
Chander flicked the Lich Sentinel off. “No.”
“You are missing out, Chand; it is delicious,” Vellerynd commented.
“Easy for you to say, you actually like green stuff,” Chander replied.
“Anyway, let’s talk about what’s important today,” Baxter remarked. “Victor’s room is ready for a triple matebond. When are Keegan and Phillip moving in?”
Although Victor dearly wanted both his mates to share his space immediately, he understood that Keegan’s training had to come first. Thankfully, graduation was in less than two weeks.
“We’re moving in tonight,” Keegan announced.
Victor was so stunned he dropped his forkful of pasta. “Huh?”
“I’m already packed,” Keegan stated calmly. “If Phillip’s not, I can help him get his stuff. There’s no reason I can’t teleport to the Ascension Center every day for my classes, and Phillip can get to the Sentinel Brotherhood just as easily.”
No one said a word in response, so Victor focused his attention on his plate and grabbed his fork and twirled it unnecessarily in his mound of spaghetti.
“It might help you, Phillip,” Victor offered quietly. “If you were around us in the morning, you may not need that last potion you’re still taking. I know you don’t want to take them at all, and moving in could help you achieve that goal.”
“You need not convince me of the merits of moving in together,” Phillip responded. “If you are ready to share your suite with us, I will pack my belongings tonight.”
“Good, it’s settled,” Baxter said. “You’re welcome.”
“Sometimes I wish I could stab you with my fork,” Chander replied conversationally.
“I know how you feel,” Vellerynd responded, toasting the Arch Lich with his own pronged utensil.
“I am sure Victor, Phillip, and Keegan would have figured out their living arrangements without your aid, Bax,” Ducarius stated.
“But thanks to me, they’ve already got it worked out,” Baxter answered.
“Just tell Victor how delicious the spaghetti he made is, then shut the hell up,” Chander ordered.
Victor chuckled as Baxter ducked his head and praised the food he’d made. If the Arch Lich demanded anything, the sentinels in the household immediately responded accordingly. Although Victor didn’t doubt that Baxter appreciated his meal, he would’ve kept chatting about living arrangements until someone insisted on a subject change.
Since he was feeling grateful that Keegan and Phillip were moving in, Victor smiled at the Daemon Lord and accepted his compliment with grace. It was a testament to how much Victor was loved that Baxter’s greatest concern that evening was discovering how quickly Keegan and Phillip would be joining their family. Victor had a great deal to be grateful for and silently thanked Fate for every gift she’d granted him.
∞∞∞
Keegan bounded into the closet with his bag. It was so cool that Victor had opted to create one large closet instead of separating them, and he already longed for the opportunity to sit in there to watch the cat shifter dress and apply his make-up.
“Does anyone need anything?” Victor asked from behind Keegan.
“Do you have any spare hangers?” Phillip inquired. “Alaric had plain formal uniforms made for me to wear in the office until we can figure out my permanent role. I would prefer to keep them from getting wrinkled.”
“Of course, Spicy,” Victor responded. Keegan watched with appreciation as Victor lifted to the toes of his heeled sandals to pluck a handful of colorful hangers from the rack. The vividblue shorts he was wearing bared most of his legs, and Keegan liked the way his long muscles flexed as he stretched.
“Thank you,” Phillip said, taking the hangers from Victor.
“Are you okay, Sunshine?” Victor asked, resting his hand on Keegan’s lower back.
“Yeah, sorry, I was admiring your legs and forgot what I was doing,” Keegan replied.
“Stop apologizing, you have done absolutely nothing wrong,” Phillip reminded him. “It is impossible not to admire Victor’s sexy legs.”
Victor responded with a pretty smile and a little roll of his eyes. “Let’s get you both squared away so you can relax.”
